Twisted Ambitions
by song.breeze
Summary: She's evil and everyone knows it. But what has she got planned for all of them? It's all about Bellatrix, a long time ago...
1. Lucius

**Lucius**

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Bellatrix Black strolled nonchalantly down the mahogany-panelled corridor and lazily kicked open the door with one scarlet-toed foot.

"Lucius," she almost sang as she entered the darkened room. "Lucius _darling_, could we possibly have a little chat?"

The man in the bed in front of her groaned. "Bellatrix, not now. I'm busy."

She laughed disbelievingly. "Lucius, what could you _possibly_ be busy with at this time of night?" He merely grunted in reply, but this didn't seem to perturb Bellatrix in the least. "It's not as if I'd find dear, sweet Narcissa in here, is it, hm?" she smirked, causing Lucius to scowl. "After all, hasn't she sworn to save it till her wedding night?"

Lucius growled quietly, and Bellatrix smiled innocently, fluttering her dark lashes as if to say, 'Who? Moi?'

"Dear dear, Lucius; sexually frustrated, are we?"

Lucius growled again, and balled his fists. He daren't say anything to Bellatrix, for her fiancé was a formidable enemy to have, and a very useful ally, but that didn't stop every carefully chosen word his future sister-in-law was saying grating on his nerves like nails down a blackboard.

"Oh Lucius, you look angry! Surely it isn't something _I've_ said?" she pouted, smiling slightly at the look of sheer fury on Lucius' face. "You don't want to lose control, sweetie, after all, no one would like to think of my sister's fiancé alone and out of control in a –" she deftly kicked the door shut behind her, "- locked room with _me_, now would they?"

Satisfied with the expression on Lucius' face, Bellatrix sauntered over to the bed and perched delicately on the edge, crossing her legs so that the black lace hem of her deep green satin nightgown crept a further three inches up her thigh. Lucius closed his eyes with a frustrated sigh.

"Bellatrix, can you please just –" he opened his eyes, grimacing, "- go away?"

Bellatrix's smile faded and her voice changed instantly. In a tone of pure venom, she leaned in towards Lucius so her nose was only inches from his, and spoke. "Now now, Lucius. We don't want you…_upsetting_ me, now do we?"

Lucius narrowed his eyes and breathed deeply so that he would appear perfectly calm.

"But Bellatrix, _sweetheart_, why would I possibly want to upset you? Just think what Rodolphus would do," she smiled in satisfaction, "if he found out you crept into my bedroom late at night, wearing a skimpy little piece of –"

Bellatrix breathed heavily, and her voice came out in a low hiss. "If you even _dare_, I can have you _ripped_ up, _limb_…_from_…_limb_."

Lucius knew it was true, but his face didn't so much as twitch. "But what would happen then, hm? The heir to the Malfoy fortune dead, and not yet married? His poor fiancée wouldn't get a penny of it!"

"That's not true," Bellatrix said too quickly, and cursed inwardly at her display of nervousness. "It would go to Narcissa because you have no one else."

Lucius pretended to think for a minute, before replying. "Well actually, Bella _honey_, I don't think it would. You see, I have some good friends who would be only too happy to relieve your sister of that burden."

"But she's in your will, surely…" Bellatrix said, doing her best to sound nonplussed.

"Actually, she's not. Malfoy tradition, you see. Until she becomes a Malfoy, she can't touch a penny of what's ours."

"Cute," Bellatrix said, pursing her lips.

"Indeed," Lucius smirked. "Anyway, _sweetheart_, what did you want with me? Much as I _adore_ your company, I don't want to deprive you of your beauty sleep," he reached out and pinched her cheek, smiling patronisingly. "Don't wanna lose it, do ya? Darling, your face is your best feature."

Bellatrix raised an eyebrow, not budging from where she leant, one dark curl now lying on Lucius' bare shoulder. "I suppose that's all you'd know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well…_honey_…that's all of me you've really had a chance to get _acquainted_ with, isn't it?" she smiled sweetly, and innocently ran her tongue, _very_ slowly, around her mouth, a look of vacant concentration on her face.

"Sorry Bella, I know you're a slut, but that doesn't mean we all want it."

Bellatrix was deathly quiet, and for a moment Lucius thought he had gone too far, but then she spoke again, leaning even closer and whispering in his ear. "Lucius," she paused, "how many times," she stopped again, running her hand down his cheek so that she had control of both sides of his face, "do I have to tell you," she swung one leg over him so that she was now straddling his hips through the covers, "_not_ to call me," she moved her head so she was looking directly into his eyes, "Bella?" she snarled and gripped his shoulders, digging her long silver fingernails into his flesh.

"Argh, stop it!"

"Stop what?"

"Stop hurting me!"

"What do you say?"

"Please!"

"Wrong. Lucius honey, you should know by now that begging won't get you anywhere. The Dark Lord would be so disappointed…"

"Bellatrix,you little bitch, cut it out right now!"

"That's better. Grow a spine, you fucking pussy. For fuck's sake, man! No wonder you're not getting laid."

Lucius scowled again, rubbing at his shoulders where ten deep cuts were oozing shimmering blood onto his white skin. "I don't need your fucking tips on how to get laid, bitch."

"No? No sexual frustration? Then I suppose it's alright if I just –" she shuffled forwards slightly, then ground her hips downwards.

"Gaah!"

Bellatrix smirked. "So I was right. You're not getting enough, and having me sit here like this…only wearing this little piece of thin, cold satin…knowing if you just reached out and touched me you could feel _everything_…" she pretended to look sympathetic, "it must be _torture_."

Lucius' eyes didn't move from Bellatrix's face, but his lip curled. "Like playing with fire, don't you?"

"Fire? My, my, aren't we cocky tonight?" Bellatrix smirked and looked Lucius' bare torso up and down, knowing he was watching the movement of her gaze. "Hot maybe, but honey, you couldn't scald."

"Oh really?"

Lucius knew this was a pointless argument, as his conversations with Bellatrix always were, but that didn't really matter. There was sexual tension, and neither could get rid of it; Rodolphus was out of town, and Narcissa _had_ sworn to keep her virginity intact until her wedding night. Two long and drawn-out months away. And, of course, Lucius couldn't fuck Bellatrix, no matter how much he'd like to. The Dark Lord needed a new generation, created by unions between powerful pureblood families, and that was what he intended for Lucius and Narcissa. One Black sister was already betrothed to a muggle, and she would be dealt with. Another was soon to be a Lestrange, and Narcissa was destined to be a Malfoy. Shagging Bellatrix would ruin both these potential marriages and, Lucius shuddered internally, incur the Dark Lord's wrath.

"Oh yes. I bet you're like a cold fish."

"If that makes you happy, sweetie."

"I know what would make me happy, and it's nothing to do with fucking your puny ass."

"Well actually I think it'd be more a case of me fucking _your_ ass. Basic anatomy, you know."

"Very funny," Bellatrix pursed her lips, "but you're not doing a very good job of hiding it, now are you Lucius?"

"Hiding what?" Lucius asked, raising one blonde eyebrow.

Bellatrix ground her hips again, watching Lucius' expression, and whispered huskily, "You want me. You want to fuck me senseless. You want tochain me to your fucking bed and fuck the hell out of me. Don't try to deny it."

"I wasn't," Lucius smirked and Bellatrix gave a malicious smile.

"Well honey, you're not gonna get it. Hate to break the news to you, but I can sit here and do anything I want to you and you can't fuck me. Poor Lucius," Bellatrix pulled a pouty puppydog face.

"Be careful, Bella. You don't know what you're messing with."

"Oh Lucius, you never listen, do you?" she leaned down and bit his neck, making him gasp.

"Bellatrix, stop it! You evil bitch, let go of my fucking neck!"

She raised her head and looked at him, and he could see his own blood dripping from the corner of her lip. He watched her silently as she wiped the blood off his neck with one long, slender finger and licked it off, tantalisingly.

"Had to teach you a lesson, didn't I?"

"Kinky bitch."

Bellatrix smirked. "That had better not have been a complaint, Lucius."

"Oh it wasn't. Just cut it out with the pain, would you?"

"Oh no, Lucius. You need to learn to take the pain. You can't be a Death Eater and a little wuss, you know."

"My personal life is none of your business, Bellatrix."

"If you say so, dear. But don't forget that I'll be joining the ranks too, as soon as I get out of Dumbledore's little muggle-haven he calls a school."

Lucius smiled. "Why not get it anyway? It's not like you do anything _important_ at Hogwarts, now is it?"

"For your information, I'm Head Girl, which is more than _you_ ever managed to achieve."

Lucius flushed slightly, his alabaster complexion tinged slightly pink. "So what?"

"Lucius you fucking imbecile, I can't exactly keep my arm covered all year long, can I? And if Dumbledore found out, I'd be kicked out of my position and there'd be no more information on Hogwarts for the Dark Lord."

"You're passing information to the Dark Lord?"

"Maybe, maybe not. You know it's forbidden to divulge plans to _untrustworthy_ people."

"You don't trust me?"

"Of course not. You're a Malfoy."

Lucius smirked. Clearly the name still bore _some_ respect. "And I wouldn't trust you in a million years, Bella. You're a Black, a Slytherin, a bitch, a slut and a Death Eater."

"Precisely. But Lucius, you've forgotten again." Bellatrix lowered her mouth to Lucius' neck and began to suck at the bite mark which was still leaking blood, causing him to wince and tense up.

"Stop it, Bellatrix. Fucking stop it. Stop the fuck sucking my fucking neck, you fucking dirty vampire sket."

Bellatrix took not a blind bit of notice, so Lucius grabbed her roughly around the waist and flipped her over, rolling on top of her.

"Fuck, Lucius. What's your problem?"

"You're my fucking problem. You shouldn't tease a Malfoy, Bella."

She moved to grab him with her nails, but he pinned her wrists above her head. "No Bella, it's my turn now. How does it feel to be helpless?"

"Now who's the kinky one?"

To Lucius' annoyance, Bellatrix didn't look remotely bothered by the fact that his body was pinning her to the bed, rendering her incapable of moving. "This is _my_ house, and my rules apply. I don't know why you think you can get away with teasing me like the little slut you are, but you can't. You don't even have your wand, you stupid little girl."

"Stupid little girl? That's a new one. In case you hadn't noticed, Lucius, you're only two years older than me, and a great deal thicker."

"How dare you!"

"You know it's true, Lucius. And you wouldn't hurt me. You don't want to mar something this perfect, now do you?" Bellatrix arched her back and sighed innocently, thrusting her breasts into Lucius' eyeline. She felt the effect of this against her thigh.

"Watch what you're doing, Bellatrix. After all, you can't stop me doing whatever I want to do."

"But Lucius, why would I want to stop you?" She ground her body upwards, pressing ever part of her scantily clad body against him.

"You've had your warnings, Bella. Watch where you step."

Bellatrix just lay on her back, biting her lip coyly, and blew a kiss at Lucius.

This was the last straw for him. He growled and grabbed the edge of her nightgown, ripping it all down the front. She thrust her body against him and he released her wrists from his grip, grabbing her breasts instead and massaging them roughly. He bent his head and bit her nipple viciously, not seeing he grin of triumph on her face. Moaning provocatively, she wriggled and Lucius thrust against her.

"You want it too, bitch."

"Oh but Lucius, don't you realise what you've done?"

"What's that then? Finally got what I want from you?"

Bellatrix smiled, and her dark eyes glinted. "Ah, Lucius. You've just provided me with an excellent memory for the Dark Lord to see." Lucius paled dramatically, the flush which had previously coloured his cheeks vanishing completely, and Bellatrix continued. "I'll be able to show him your naked torso against by bruised and bitten breasts, thrusting frantically, and me moaning in pain. Reckon he'll be pleased?"

"Bellatrix, you-- you wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?"

"Please, Bellatrix. Please, you can't –"

"Oh yes I can. And I've already warned you about pleading." Bellatrix crawled forwards to Lucius, who had sat back at the edge of the bed, and straddled him again, her naked body pressing up against him causing him to groan once more in anger and frustration.

"Alright, what do I have to do?"

"Ah, he finally cottons on."

"Just get on with it, Bellatrix. What do you want from me?"

"Now there's a question…"

"Bellatrix…" he growled.

"Temper, temper. Well, there's a little favour I'd like to ask of you."

"Go on."

"I want you to bring Sirius down."

"Sirius? Your cousin?"

"The very same."

Lucius laughed. "Come off it, what did he do? Refuse to shag you?"

"You're not in a position to be making remarks like that, are you Lucius?"

"No. Sorry _sweetums_, do carry on," he feigned a look of sheer concentration.

"Make the Dark Lord recruit Pettigrew."

"How the fuck would I do that? The Dark Lord is not stupid."

"Well done. Great deduction, Detective Malfoy. Through Pettigrew, he can reach Potter, and you will convince him to bring the traitor down with him. Got it?"

Lucius sighed. She clearly had this all worked out. He couldn't deny that Pettigrew was an ingenious way to access Potter and his Auror mother, and the Dark Lord may agree. "Fine. Fine, fine, fine. Now get out."

"Don't be rude, Lucius. Don't I get a goodnight kiss?" She leaned forward and caressed Lucius' lips with her own, pressing her still-exposed breasts against his own bare skin. He groaned and cupped her derrière with one hand, tangling the other into her long, dark, silky mane.Bellatrix broke away, smiling, leaving him panting.

"Just some backup evidence, you understand," Lucius put his head in his hands, but looked up again as she threw her nightgown at him. "Mend it."

He did as he was told, and could only watch as she slipped it back over her head, making a great show of tossing her hair, arching her back, stretching, and smoothing the garment over her body.

"Night, sweetie," she said, and blew a kiss, "and Merry Christmas!"

Making sure he was watching her ever move, she bent over to unlock the door and sauntered out of the room, a satisfied smirk on her face.

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Please let me know what you think - I love Bellatrix and wanted to do something evil with her. Plus I don't like Lucius, so that's where the Lucius-bashing came from. this happened under the influence of too much scary music and weird food, so don't blame me, blame...er...okay, blame me. I think I'd like to make this into a kinda collection of one-shots involving Bella that sorta make a story but don't connect, if you follow me. I could leave it as a one-shot, but I'll see what you guys think.

**Review** please!

Becca

P.S. For the sake of this fic, Lucius is around 19, Bella is 17 and in her 7th year at Hogwarts, and Narcissa is in her 6th. I know that makes Cissy a little young for Lucius, but he's a bastard, so no matter. I'm not too sure how old they're all _supposed _to be at this point, but bear with me here - it's artistic license!That fits in with the MWPP fic I'm writing that features Bella and co. every now and again, savvy?


	2. Outgrown

**Note:** This chapter is not supposed to follow on directly from the previous one, as this will be a collection of one-shot which eventually tell a story. Enjoy!**

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**Outgrown **

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"You are all here because you were invited. Every one of you shows some talent; some of you are particularly adept at Potion-making, or performing complex charms and hexes. Others of you may have proved skilful at manipulating those around you to improve your situation. Some are here merely because you have an impressive right hook, and your usefulness will be tested in time," she cast looks around the room as she spoke, determining in the shadows the faces of those who were listening intently to her. "A few of you have shown burning pride or ambition, and several seem to be admired more than usual by your peers and acquaintances. Make no mistake: you are here for a reason, and if you carelessly divulge the contents of this meeting, or even the occurrence of the meeting itself, there will be dire consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

Most of the room nodded curtly, one or two hesitantly, and others narrowed their eyes, not used to being spoken to by another pupil in such a manner. One student, however, drawled from the shadows. "Are you trying to tell us we're inconsequential, Bellatrix?"

She gazed incomprehensibly at the man who had spoken. "At no point in that speech, Rabastan, did I mention anyone being inconsequential. No one in this room, at least." Bellatrix knew he was trying to wind her up, and he knew he could get away with it, being the brother of her fiancé or apparent (for the sake of her reputation and that of the family) husband. "And I will thank you to address myself or anyone else in the room by their surname."

Rabastan sneered, but didn't comment again. Bellatrix noticed he was sitting next to Narcissa, and smirked inwardly. He had better not get too fond of her; the Black sister betrothed to Lucius Malfoy.

"I trust that each of you will know why you have been called here tonight. If you don't know what your own talent is, there is little hope for you. Therefore, I will ask each of you in turn and, should you fail to give me a somewhat correct answer, you will leave and not come back." So far, she had not given the seated people any reason to want to stay, but she knew that none of them, being the people they were, would want to be excluded.

"Rookwood," she turned to a pale, dark-haired boy seated in the approximate centre of the empty dungeon classroom. He didn't need to be asked twice.

"People trust me. I'm a mine of information."

Bellatrix nodded. "Black?"

Narcissa looked at her with wide blue-grey eyes. "I'm a Black. And I'm engaged to Lucius Malfoy."

"Arrogant, but accurate. Macnair?"

"I like killing things."

She smiled. "A useful fetish. Dolan?"

"People will do anything to get sex. Especially from me," the pretty redhead smirked.

"True. Oh, so true." Bellatrix turned next to a fourth-year boy who shrank under her gaze. "You. Klass."

The boy stuttered. "I…I'm not sure."

Bellatrix sighed audibly. "Don't be stupid, boy. Come on. Name all the things you're good at."

"Quidditch, Herbology, photography…"

"Listening at keyholes?"

The boy flushed. "Oh, er…I guess."

"I'd throw you out for being such an insufferable idiot, but we need someone disposable. After all, if you get caught, no one will connect you with us high-flyers." Klass looked at his feet, clearly mortified, but Bellatrix couldn't care less. "Leventis?"

This time, the woman she spoke to grinned. "Well, I'm your best – and probably only – friend; I'm your big rival; I'm pretty and popular; and, most of all, my parents are fucking rolling in it. Plus, I've always had an evil little streak…"

"Very funny, Leventis." The girl cocked an eyebrow and swung her blonde hair with an unmistakably cheeky expression. "But you're right."

This discussion went on for some time. Three people, all younger members of the school, were sent away. Several people admitted to torturing small fluffy animals, others swore that they hated all Muggles and Mudbloods and were in the process of inventing new killing spells. Bellatrix rolled her eyes at these but, despite the blatant idiocy and overconfidence, they had the right ideas behind them. If they could learn to obey, they would be useful tools. Bellatrix turned to the last two people in the room, both hidden in the shadows.

"Dolohov. Why are you here?"

"I can do anything. Gathering information, spying, assassination; you name it, I can do it." His gaze was steady, and Bellatrix knew he meant it. Now why had Andromeda been promised to this one? He deserved someone with a little more ambition behind her. But no doubt the Dark Lord knew what he wanted. Maybe Antonin Dolohov would be the kick up the arse Andromeda needed. She would connect him with the Pureblood network, too. From what her mother had told her, he had been orphaned and brought up by Mudbloods. It was high time to bring him back to where he belonged.

Bellatrix nodded almost imperceptibly. "And you. Crouch."

The sandy-haired, quiet boy spoke. His voice was unexpectedly calm. "I've got ambition. I want to go places. And not the places my Muggle-loving father wants to send me, either."

She didn't nod this time, merely contemplated what Crouch had said. If her instinct was right, and the Seer blood in her ensured that it almost always was, then Bartemius Crouch would be a very useful asset to the Dark Lord. Of course, Bellatrix hadn't and wouldn't dream of mentioning the Dark Lord's name to anyone at this meeting, save perhaps Maria Leventis and Rabastan Lestrange, both of whom were Slytherins and well known to her and her family.

"I don't pretend to be able to work miracles. However, being a part of our group will enable you to establish a reputation among well-connected people and make the most of opportunities available to you. Some of the older students here were members of the Slug Club, until Professor Slughorn decided to take a break, that is. He was a very effective way of making it big. It's a shame he decided to indulge himself by travelling rather than promote us.

"Nevertheless, we can take matter into our own hands, and those of us not fortunate enough to have been part of our dear Professor's little circle have the chance to be a part of something; to be powerful; to receive the rank, status and respect you truly deserve which is denied us in mainstream society. There will be no place for Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers among us, so if you are one of those traitorous wretches, I advise you to get out now."

Most people didn't move, but a couple sneered in agreement with Bellatrix's comments. She smiled, a genuine one this time, then continued. "You may ask why I seem to be leader of this little 'society', so I will give you my answer before you humiliate yourselves by asking me personally. The main reason is that I am Head Girl, therefore if any numbskull leaks information about us, it would be easy to pass it off as a private study group lead by myself. Other than that, I come from a well-respected family, I am married to a well-respected Pureblood man, and I already have contacts few of you can match. I know much more about magic and manipulation than many of you can dream of, so I alone can pass this all on to those whom I see fit."

Bellatrix knew that many people in the room would think her arrogant and conceited, but she knew they would not dare tell her so. Although she would have liked to deter many of these unlikely followers, she had her orders. Macnair, for instance, was likely to become more of a hindrance than a help in any mission she assigned him to. He would be no more use in gathering information about what was going on at Hogwarts than asking Peeves to aid their quest.

"The only way we can prove ourselves above the rest of the population and secure ourselves positions in the ranks of the high and influential is by knowing that which others don't. We need to know _everything_ that goes on within the walls of this castle. We need to know every inhabitant by name, know every secret meeting that goes on behind Dumbledore's," she spat his name contemptuously, "back. We need to know everything so we can manipulate it to fit our plans and ambitions. Do you all understand that?" Everyone bar Narcissa nodded. "Black, what's the problem?"

Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "Well, _Bellatrix_, I don't see how knowing about little Gryffindor orgies is going to help us in our future careers. Half us girls aren't even going to _have_ careers; we'll just be having Death Eaters' babies." A lot of people sniggered, but Bellatrix looked murderous.

"Thank you for that contribution, _Black_. If the Gryffindors are having orgies, that'd be a good time to sneak up on them and hex them to where the sun doesn't shine, would it not? And while some of us may well be having Death Eaters' babies, that doesn't mean we don't first need to find someone whose babies we can have. Not everyone is blessed with a mother who matched them up with someone far too good for them, you know."

"Yes Bellatrix, you're absolutely right. Not all of us can be as lucky as you, now can we?" it was Rabastan Lestrange who had spoken, and many people looked scared for him as Bellatrix advanced on him.

"Meeting dismissed," she said quietly, and put a hand on Rabastan's shoulder. "Black, stay here." After the rest of the meeting had left, most not daring to speak, she strode to the door, locked it, and muttered, "Silencio."

"What's this about, Bella?" Narcissa asked grumpily.

"You know perfectly well. You can't go trying to humiliate me –"

"- And succeeding!" Rabastan added, and Bellatrix glared.

"- In front of all this lot! I have my orders. We need to get as many people together as possible; make them loyal to us."

"Us?" Narcissa questioned.

"Don't think I want to involve you. It's necessary."

"You know I want nothing to do with Voldemort."

"Don't say his name!" Bellatrix hissed.

"Don't tell me you're scared of saying his name?" Narcissa grinned.

"I'm not scared of his name, but I know well enough to pay respect. You should too, if you don't want to end up like the Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers."

"Whatever," Narcissa said nonchalantly, inspecting her fingernails.

"Alright, let's get it over with, Bellatrix," Rabastan yawned. "What do you want from us?"

"You," Bellatrix jabbed a finger at him, "need to have a little more respect. And find someone respectable to fuck, for that matter."

"Oh, sorry, Cupid. Who would you consider 'respectable'? Apart from you and your lovely sisters, I mean – after all, you're off limits. Although I must say, Rodolphus wouldn't be too pleased to hear you've been _fucking around_, now would he?"

"I can fuck who I like," Bellatrix said, unflustered.

"Oh no you can't," Rabastan said with a wicked grin. "I know who you'd like to fuck, and you can't have him, can you?"

"What are you talking about?" she sneered. Narcissa was looking on from the sidelines, mildly amused. Her sister was not often rattled, but Cissa could tell when she was.

"He's your cousin. You're sick, Bella. Can't resist a challenge though, can you?"

"What?" Narcissa spluttered. "You can't mean Sirius!"

"Don't speak his name!" Bellatrix snapped.

"Why not?" Rabastan grinned. "Just because he's off-limits. Never thought you'd shag a Gryffindor."

"Bella, that's _nasty_!"

"I do _not_ want to _fuck_ that _traitor_!"

"That's what they all say."

"Ugh, Bella!"

"Look, I don't know where –"

"And I bet you want to do Potter too, don't you? Score the pair. Both Purebloods, after all."

"Oh Rab, shut up!"

"For once, Cissy, I agree with you. And you can hardly talk about taste, Rabastan. Who was it last time? A Hufflepuff?"

"Oh, _please_. She was so last week. I'm bored of the dumb blondes."

"You two are such sluts."

"Thank you," they both added, and Bellatrix looked shocked that she'd made such an un-Bellatrix-like comment.

"Anyway, you really need to get yourself set up. You've only got another year and a half left here. Cissy's your age and she's already sorted."

"Yeah," Narcissa said. "Great."

"Don't act so ungrateful. I wouldn't mind that piece of meat."

"Oh, don't make me think about you and Lucius. You wouldn't dare, but that thought is so _wrong_."

"Whatever. Anyway, Rabastan, I don't think I need to tell you twice."

"Yeah, sure. Everyone wants me to be just like fucking Rodolphus. Boring sod with the slutty fiancée."

"Watch it."

"Shut it for once, Bellatrix. You have a life too. Is fucking people your only hobby these days apart from putting other people down?"

"I'm a Slytherin, honey," she smirked.

"So am I, and I'm not fucking bitch queen of the century," Narcissa said, putting a hand on Rabastan's shoulder in support.

"And you're a fucking laughing stock. You're lucky Lucius will still have you although you're such a wimp. You're not even clever. You're a complete ditz, and it's not like he had to fight off the competition for you, is it? About the only reason he'll have you is so he can deflower you. Nice big hips for childbirth, too."

"Oh, fucking shut up!" Rabastan exclaimed, almost jumping to his feet.

"Leave it, Rab. This is my battle and I'll fight it for myself," she said, looking grateful all the same. Then she turned to her sister. "I've had about e-fucking-nough of you, you bitch. Just because you haven't got a heart left doesn't mean you can kill all of us in the same way! Just because you're Mum's perfect daughter, Head Girl and über-bitch to boot. You're a fucking pathetic little wench, and I hope you have a fucking good life, because I'm not letting you fuck up mine for me. Lucius loves me, and I love him. He may be a bastard sometimes, but he's a nice guy underneath it all, and I know you couldn't give two craps about that, but I do, okay?

"Do what you like with your own fucking future, but I'm not gonna be Dementor-fodder in Azkaban. When you wind up there, I'm not gonna be sorry. It'll be all your own fucking fault. Got it? I don't care any more, Bella. You used to be a role model for me, but now I hate you. I fucking hate your guts, Bella, but I hope you're happy all the same. You lost Andy years ago, and I doubt you know anything about her any more. I doubt you know how disgusted she is to have to marry Dolohov, or that she wishes our parents would just disown her, like Sirius has been. She's a Ravenclaw, Bella. Doesn't that tell you something about her? She's got the brains to get away from all this. It's too late for me now, but I'm going to make the best I can of it. I'm gonna do everything I can not to be like you!"

Narcissa was sobbing and screaming, but she seemed stronger than Bellatrix had ever seen her. Her baby sister was finally standing up to her, and Bellatrix felt rage creeping up inside her veins, her blood boiling. She managed to give a sardonic smile towards Narcissa, currently leaning against Rabastan and crying into his shoulder, before Alohamora-ing the door and flouncing out. Something would have to be done.

* * *

Bella's a little less sure of herself here, but hopefully her character still works. Thanks to you lovely people who reviewed. :)

**malvagita** Oh, don't get me started on the hotness of that pairing. Thanks a lot, i really wanted to do a good job.

**BellatrixBLestrange** Well, I took your lovely advice, and here's part two! Thanks.

Reviews would be very helpful, as i'm not too sure about the ending of this, and I'm contemplating changing it. What do people think?

Becca x0x0x


	3. A Change of Plan

Bellatrix leaned back into his arms and sighed. "It's been too long."

"I know, sweetheart," he replied, nuzzling her neck.

"Did you miss me?" she asked, playfully.

"Of course I missed you," he answered.

"I missed you, too."

"I know, baby."

They sat there in companionable silence for a few moments, when there came a knock on the door. "Yes?" Bellatrix asked impatiently, stiffening.

"Bella? It's Cissy. Can we come in?"

"Of course you can," Rodolphus replied, and Narcissa entered, leading Lucius by the hand.

"How are you, Dolph?" Narcissa asked, looking positively angelic with her white-blonde hair framing her blue-eyed face.

"I'm great, Narcissa. How are you? And you," he turned to Lucius, "It's been a while."

Lucius nodded his agreement. "We're fine. What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

Narcissa took a seat at one end of a plush black velvet couch, looking around at the too-familiar tapestries and cabinets that lined the living room she shared with her sisters. She tried not to look at Bellatrix seated opposite her. It used to be the three of them: her, Bella and Andromeda. Now there were two; Narcissa worried about Bella more than she could ever know. Technically Bella was supposed to worry about her, but it had never been like that. Narcissa had always fended for herself, just as Bella did, but she was never allowed too much freedom. Bellatrix saw to that. Cissy didn't know what Bella got up to, no one did, but Narcissa's every move was watched. No one dared to cross Bella, except perhaps Lucius. They thought she didn't see, but she did. Bellatrix and Lucius had always loathed each other, but it went deeper than loathing.

"Bella does. What else?"

Lucius smiled, looking at Bellatrix. "Well, we all know what a personality _Bella_ is."

Bellatrix scowled at Lucius, not caring if her sister noticed or not. "Lucius was telling me only a few days ago that he was _so_ looking forward to seeing you, Rodolphus. He practically worships you, you know. You're almost like an idol to him."

Narcissa felt the waves of chilly contempt radiating from Lucius, but Rodolphus seemed either ignorant or amused by Lucius's reaction. "That's very flattering," he said, playing with a curl of Bella's ebony hair. Bellatrix snuggled back against him, leaning her head back onto his shoulder. It was impossible to tell with Bellatrix how she felt about Rodolphus. Narcissa didn't know whether their marriage was by choice: she had never dared ask. Bella certainly seemed close to him; she had chosen to take his name even before their marriage. She said it was because her name came before her wherever she went, and she was sick of explaining herself. This didn't make sense to Cissy, though - everyone knew Bella, or they knew what she wanted them to know, at least. Taking Rodulphus's name wouldn't make a blind bit of difference; if you were a Pureblood, your marital status was well-known.

"I don't believe I said those _exact_ words, did I, Bella?" Lucius asked, an obviously forced smile on his face. He finally sat down next to Narcissa and took hold of the hand he had let go of on entering the room.

"Close enough," Bellatrix smirked.

Lucius seemed to let this go, as he and Rodolphus began talking about this and that; Narcissa and Bellatrix did not join in, both because this was clearly an all-male conversation and because Narcissa at least had no idea what they were talking about. She hated living like this; a little angel on a pedestal. Everyone wanted to protect her, and everyone wanted to make her life as boring and miserable as possible.

About the only interesting thing that had happened in Cissy's life over the past year was Lucius. She had always cared for him; he was the icy little boy in the corner, watching and waiting. He had always looked so alone, so pitiable, but when he opened his mouth she would invariably be shocked by the tones of authority and contempt coming from his lips. Lucius was a perfect oxymoron; he was beautiful and tainted. Nobody was evil in Narcissa's eyes. Bellatrix called her naive, but Cissy knew better than her. Lucius had grown up, just like her, and he was that same little boy. But this man didn't wear his heart on his sleeve. Narcissa wasn't stupid enough to think he loved her. A man like Lucius has to learn to love, and one can only learn what one wishes to know. Love was a weakness in Lucius's eyes, and Narcissa was an asset to him, something to add to the family name, rather than a treasured possession. A possession, however, she was. It was an easy life she had been signed up for; Lucius wasn't cruel, and he treated her with a certain degree of respect. She didn't know if she loved him. After all, how can you love someone you're not even sure can love you back?

"Bella?" Narcissa said quietly.

Bellatrix looked up, and mouthed, "What?"

"How are you?" Cissy whispered.

"Fine." Bellatrix said, and turned away. Narcissa watched her as she sat on the oversized sofa. Bella was sitting between Rodolphus's legs, her legs bent sideways over her fiance's. Her head still rested on his shoulder, her long hair cascading down her back. She looked more peaceful than Narcissa had ever seen her; there was no aggression in her eyes or in her body language, and there was no connotation of anything but content between her and Rodolphus. It was strange, Narcissa thought. If Bellatrix really did love Rodolphus, this wouldn't be her way of showing it. They probably had a very sexual relationship already, but if they were as passionate about each other as it came across, Cissy would have guessed they'd be all over each other, especially in public. Bellatrix was all about showing off whatever she'd got, and Rodolphus was a prize many would like to have. No platonic relationship would be this affectionate; he played with her hair in such an absent-minded, natural way that it couldn't just be for show. They didn't kiss in public, they just walked with their arms around each other the way an old married couple might. They could be in love, and they might not. Either way, what was happening wasn't like Bella.

Lucius's hand was clammy, and his shoulders were tense. Narcissa could tell he was uncomfortable, and it didn't take three guesses to know what was making him so awkward. She and Lucius couldn't be like that. He was sex and anger, and she didn't want any of that. He scared her, although she would never tell him so. The two of them seemed so mis-matched; he so cold and isolated, and she so sensitive. She subconsciously squeezed his hand in sympathy, and he looked round at her. Rodolphus stopped speaking, and bent down to whisper something in the ear of the girl on his lap, and Lucius looked at Cissy questioningly.

She found herself apologising for this small gesture. "I'm sorry, I just thought you looked uncomfortable."

Lucius looked back at her in surprise. "Oh. Well, thanks."

It was Narcissa's turn to blink in bemusement. She gave a small laugh, and Lucius raised an eyebrow, not unkindly. "This is ridiculous."

"What's so ridiculous?" Lucius kept his voice down and Narcissa followed suit.

"This. Those two seem so..I don't know," she looked to Lucius for help.

"Happy," Lucius said, frowning.

"I suppose so," Narcissa agreed. "But it's just -"

"Not like Bella," Lucius finished for her.

Narcissa nodded. "You know her well."

"As well as anyone can." There was anger in Lucius's voice, and sadness. It didn't take a genius to know that he loved her. Not love in the traditonal sense. If she had to put words to it, Narcissa would have said it was unconditional; the kind of love where you want to hate someone so much that somehow you end up loving them instead. He didn't want her like that, or something would have been done about it years ago. Lucius could have had her if he'd wanted, before Bella and Rodolphus became officially engaged. No one said no to a Malfoy, especially when it came to marriage. Malfoys had lots of sons.

"I hate it," Narcissa whispered, not meaning to speak her thoughts out loud.

"I know."

"What?"

"I know you hate it."

"You do?" Narcissa wasn't sure what to make of Lucius's words. He wasn't looking at her, he was looking past her, staring at something Narcissa couldn't have fathomed if she'd tried.

"You hate everything about this life. You hate being babied, you hate being smothered, you hate having to marry someone you don't love, you hate Bellatrix and you love her too, you hate Andromeda for leaving, you hate your parents for making her leave, you hate yourself for hating them, and you're silently hating whatever God made it this way."

Narcissa's mouth formed a small O. Lucius still wasn't looking at her, just staring at a spot over her shoulder. She had really had no idea it was that clear. "Is it that obvious?" she asked, her eyes prickling.

"No," was his only answer.

"Oh." She paused for a moment. "Thanks."

"Thanks for what?"

"For caring."

"I never said I cared."

"Then why -"

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, alright?" Narcissa was about to object when he spoke again. "We've got to make the best we can of this, and neither of us have got a choice about it. I just want to know what I'm getting into."

Narcissa pulled her hand slowly out of his grip, and looked at the floor. She could feel his eyes on her face, and she forced her features to stay blank. Suddenly, she stood up. "Bella, Dolph, we're going now. We have things to do, people to see...right, Lucius?" She turned around and gave him the coldest look she could muster.

"Right, Cissa," Rodolphus smiled. She tried not to feel patronised by the fact that he didn't even bother asking who they had to see or what they had to do.

She and Lucius walked over to the door, Narcissa slightly ahead, and left, Lucius shutting the door quietly behind them. This man was an enigma; but if he was going to be cold to her, she would be a fucking iceberg. He wouldn't know what hit him.

Back inside the room, Bellatrix sighed again and spoke sleepily. "Rodolphus?"

"Bella."

"What are we going to do about Potter?"

"Which one?"

"Louisa Potter."

"I thought you persuaded Lucius to do something about that."

Bellatrix smiled at that particular memory. "Yes. But he says the Dark Lord sees no use for Pettigrew."

"Then we don't use Pettigrew."

"There is no other way."

"We'll find one."

"We can't."

Rodolphus laughed. "Why so little faith, Bella?"

"Why should I have faith?"

"Because the Dark Lord wants Potter dead. What the Dark Lord wants, he gets."

"But without a traitor, we cannot take Potter's son. And without her son, we have no bait."

"Then we find another."

"Another traitor? There is no one. Potter chooses his companions carefully."

"No one?"

"No."

"Who are his friends?"

"Black, Pettigrew, Lupin. Black is a blood traitor, Lupin is werewolf scum, and the Dark Lord has no use for Pettigrew."

"Girlfriend?"

"None."

"Are you positive?"

Bellatrix thought for a moment. "Evans."

"Who?"

"Mudblood. The little bitch doesn't know her place either."

"Misplaced anger?"

Bella's lip curled. "A lot."

"Maybe we'll have a use for her, then."

"The Dark Lord will have no care for a Mudblood."

"He does not need to care for her. He needs to be persuaded that she is useful."

"Who can show him? You, Rodolphus?"

"I have no knowledge of the girl, and the Dark Lord knows this."

"Then who?"

"Lucius," Rodolphus said simply.

Bellatrix swung her legs over and stood up, facing her fiance. "Lucius is incompetent."

"He has the Dark Lord's trust."

"He does not have mine."

"Don't sulk, Bella," Rodolphus smiled. "It doesn't suit you."

"But Lucius is unreliable!"

"How so?"

"I'd rather trust Kreacher with a job than give it to Lucius. You must see, we cannot trust him with this!"

"You just don't like Lucius."

"Is it that obvious?" Bella said, rolling her eyes, and folded her arms.

"Come here," Rodolphus said, and stood up, enveloping Bellatrix in his arms. "Now," he smiled, "listen to me. The Dark Lord trusts Lucius, so you must trust Lucius. This is your task, given to you by the Dark Lord, and you must fulfill it. Lucius is the only one who knows this girl, and the only one close enough to the Dark Lord to have any influence."

"But, Rodolphus -"

He silenced her with a kiss, and just as she began to kiss him back, he pulled away. "Bella, don't be blinded." Between hasty kisses, he said, "Please, my darling, learn to put your trust in those who can help you."

"Rodolphus, this is my chance, and if -" Bellatrix trailed off, watching Rodolphus, lips slightly parted, as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Ssh, you shouldn't worry so much." He leaned towards her for another kiss, and this time he didn't pull away. Bellatrix didn't argue with him, just kissed him back.


	4. Outsmarted

Lucius took a seat, lounging elegantly on Bellatrix's sofa she had so recently vacated. "You wanted to see me?"

"'Wanted' is such an overused word, don't you think? I require a discussion with you." She took her sister's seat opposite Lucius and crossed her legs, pursing her lips as she did so.

"It's so nice to be needed," Lucius remarked, smoothing a crease in the green velvet arm of the couch.

"Indeed," Bellatrix replied impatiently. "What of Petigrew?"

Lucius sighed. "Bella, I've told you already. The Dark Lord sees no use for him."

"Don't call me Bella," she hissed, digging her fingernails into the arm of her own seat. "That's not good enough. You were supposed to persuade him of Pettigrew's value, and you failed."

"I can't help what the Dark Lord thinks."

"I don't make empty threats, Lucius."

Lucius sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. It was far too long, according to his father, but he liked it. It gave him individuality, something which he was only sporadically allowed. "Bellatrix, there's nothing I can do."

"Au contraire, Lucius."

"I've told you, Bellatrix," he snarled, "the Dark Lord has made his decision."

"Then we change our plans."

"Our plans? _Our_ plans? Bellatrix, I'm not getting involved in your ridiculous revenge schemes. They obviously please you in some twisted way, but you can't expect me to get excited over disgracing someone I'd much rather be completely disassociated with. Besides which, there are other matters the Dark Lord wishes me to attend to."

"Duty cannot be shirked, Lucius," Bellatrix said.

"Indeed."

Bellatrix sat there for a moment, staring unreadably at him. Then, casually, she pulled a small bottle out of her robes and twirled it in her hand.

"What's that?" Lucius asked sharply.

Bellatrix smiled slowly, and Lucius cursed inwardly. "It's a memory, Lucius."

"Fuck. You told me you'd destroyed it when I agreed to help you."

"I lied," Bellatrix said blithely, enjoying the look of fury on Lucius's face.

"You can't do this."

"We've been over this, Lucius. I can do it and I will do it. You failed, and there is a price to pay."

"Fuck." Lucius took a deep breath and tried to think. "Why, Bella? What would it achieve?"

"What would it achieve? Well, it could achieve many things. You would be disgraced, I would be honoured by the Dark Lord for alerting him to your betrayal...you may get off lightly, of course, if you admit that it was all about your libido, but that may only aggravate the Dark Lord... What do you think, Lucius? Pick a consequence."

"You didn't say anything." Lucius was smiling manically, and Bellatrix scowled.

"What? Are you deaf, Lucius? Or have you finally gone insane?"

"Oh, I'm not deaf," Lucius replied, still smiling. "But you forgot. I called you Bella and you didn't do anything about it. That means there's something else at stake. Something more than your pretty little schemes, your shallow little plans. What are you scared of, Bella? What have you got to lose?"

He thought for a moment that she was going to get up and hit him, but she didn't. She just sat there, her expression unmoving,and breathed slowly and deeply, not taking her eyes of his face for a second. Finally, after several long moments had gone by, long enough to make Lucius think that he might have made an error of judgement, Bellatrix spoke. "That's what you think, is it, Lucius? Well, you've been honest with me for once. Pretty little schemes. Shallow little plans. Is that all I'm capable of? Am I just some silly little girl to you, Lucius? Is that what they all say? Is that what people think behind my back? Hm? Tell me, Lucius. Tell me what they think. Tell me what _you_ think."

Lucius was truly rattled. Bellatrix did _not_ question herself. He hadn't meant it like that, and he would never have thought he could worry her. She didn't let herself be worried by anyone, and the day she let slip to someone's face that they had disturbed her was the day Lucius declared his undying devotion to Albus Dumbledore. "Bella, I didn't mean that." He could think of nothing else to say. He didn't _like_ the girl, but to see anyone this...strange; he couldn't deal with it. He smiled to himself, thinking how strange it was that someone he usually felt such _loathing_ for had somehow become a constant, something without which the equation simply didn't figure. Bellatrix not being Bellatrix had rocked Lucius's world.

"What did you mean, then?" Bellatrix had recovered herself somewhat, and her steely gaze was back in place. Lucius couldn't havejudged what was there a moment ago: whether it was hate, fear, anger, or something altogether different, he couldn't say. What he did know, though, was that it sent a shiver down his spine.

"It's Rodolphus, isn't it?" He spoke out loud, the words forming on his lips as they materialised in his head.

"What's Rodolphus?" Her walls were up now. She was in defensive mode, and Bella was dangerous when she was threatened.

"You're in love with him."

"Don't be silly," she snapped, examining her fingernails nonchalantly. Without meaning to, Lucius had brought the old Bella back.

"You are. That's what's different. You dropped your guard."

"So I dropped my guard. So what? That doesn't mean fuck all."

"Oh, yes it does. You don't do that, Bellatrix. You're the coldest, most calculating, most manipulative person I've ever known, and you _never_ let your guard down. _Especially _not," he caught her eye as she looked up, momentarily perturbed, "around me."

Bellatrix laughed. "What makes you think you're so special, Lucius? Why would I care so much what you think? You flatter yourself, sweetie."

So she was back to giving him pet names. The cogs inside Lucius's head were slowly clicking into place, and he was seeing things with a new clarity. For once, and for the first time since he could remember, he was in control. She sometimes let him think he had command of the situation, but really she was calculating his every move, turning every consequence to her advantage. But now, the tables had turned. If only for a while, she was at a disadvantage. This was a conversation she never wanted, or expected, to have, and she didn't know what to do. Lucius had said something that sparked off a reaction she didn't know how to control. Bellatrix had let her emotions get out of control, and he could tap into that. However, he had to do it quickly, or she would come up with something. She couldn't scheme so well while she was talking.

"You need me, Bella."

"I don't need you. I don't need anyone."

"Wrong again, Bella." He narrowed his eyes at her, and smiled. Make her angry, that was the trick. "If you didn't need me, you wouldn't be here. You only associate with people you need, people who can give you something, something to your advantage."

"You're nothing to me, Lucius. I hope you're not going to start declaring your undying love for me or anything, because that would be far too tedious."

It was Lucius's turn to laugh. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Bellatrix. I don't love you. In fact, I don't even like you. You have, however, made me realise something."

Bellatrix's face was impassive, but she was paying attention, something which meant that she was on the alert. "What's that, Lucius?"

"If you didn't need me, you wouldn't have come to me tonight. You would have taken that memory to the Dark Lord and had me punished without a second thought. But you need me for your scheme. There's no one else you can depend on, is there, Bella?"

"Don't be an idiot, Lucius. You're destroying the last vestiges of respect I have for you. I use you because you're easy to manipulate, not because I need you. I could use anyone, but you're so _easy_. You just set yourself up, sweetie. You let your pain and your anger get in the way of what you do, and it makes it so simple for people like me to use. You let yourself be trodden on, Lucius. You might as well lie down on the floor with a tattoo on your back saying 'Welcome'."

Lucius was almost shocked, but he stopped himself. This was what Bellatrix did best. She made you angry. She made you paranoid. She made you doubt yourself. And then she sprung it on you. "You're avoiding my question, Bella. I asked you if you love Rodolphus."

"And I told you not to be silly." There was something about her. Something not quite right. Lucius just had to keep digging.

"That's not an answer, darling. That's an ambiguous statement."

"I don't love Rodolhpus any more than you love Narcissa."

"For all you know, Bellatrix, I might be in love with her. Don't make assumptions, they'll be the death of you."

"You don't love her," Bellatrix snarled. "You can't love her."

"Why not?" Lucius smiled.

"You couldn't love someone if you tried, Lucius. You're a cold, superficial bastard and you don't know how to love. Women are sex to you, and Narcissa isn't even that. To you, Narcissa is a little girl, a little girl who needs your manly, testosterone-fueled protection. You don't love her, Lucius, you're in love with the idea of someone who depends on you; who needs you around and misses you when you're not there. You don't know how to love."

"For someone so emotionally unattached, you sound very familiar with love."

"Love is a weakness. You cannot love and have power. That is a perfect paradox, Lucius, something so profound that I would not hope or expect you to understand. To love, Lucius, is to drown in your own selfish emotions; to be sucked like a quicksand into the very breath, the very heartbeat, of someone who pulls you down. You cannot expect to love, my darling. You cannot expect to live a life of foolish games and childish fantasies. You have chosen a life of more than that, Lucius, and the Dark Lord expects more than that of you. i expect more than that of you."

"That's it."

"I'm glad you can see, Lucius. It is not worth arguing over something so obviously true."

"No, Bella." Lucius had a strange look on his face, as if something had just clicked into place. "I've realised what your problem is. You _are_ in love, and you hate yourself for it. You know that love is a weakness in the eyes of all of our kind, and you want to be anything but in love, but you just can't tear yourself away. For the first time in your life, Bella, you're dependent on someone. You're relying on something you can't control, and it scares you."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Lucius." But Bellatrix had gone white as a sheet. Blindly, Lucius had hit the spot. He stood up, walking over to her and taking a seat next to her. She didn't look at him, but continued staring at the seat he had vacated.

"Bellatrix, welcome to the world."

"Shut the fuck up."

"Manners, Bella."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, LUCIUS!" she screamed, shocking both Lucius and herself. Bellatrix never lost control.

"Bella," Lucius was stunned.

"Don't call me Bella." Her voice was shaking.

"Bellatrix," he tried again.

"Don't talk to me, Lucius."

"Do you know what you've done, Bella?"

"Lucius, shut up." Her shoulders were shaking now, but her voice was steady once more. "Please, Lucius. Don't you think you've done enough damage?"

Lucius was shocked at how soft her voice was now. She sounded like a different person. Though her voice was strong and wise beyond her years as she had always been, she suddenly sounded like the frightened little girl Lucius had always seen in Narcissa, not her sister. "I'm sorry, Bella."

"No you're not."

"I am. I mean it."

"Fuck off, Lucius." He stretched out a hand and touched her shoulder. Instead of breaking down into tears like he had expected her to, she turned around and slapped him, hard, in the face. "You'll help me, Lucius. You have no choice. I have information against you and you have _nothing_ on me. It's as simple as that. Forget Pettigrew, I want Evans.".

"Evans?" Lucius didn't have time to think, Bellatrix's turnaround was so sudden.

"Lily Evans, you imbecile. Potter's little angel."

"She's not Potter's."

"No," Bellatrix agreed.

"Evans was with Sirius," Lucius said.

"Precisely." Lucius's face remained blank, and Bellatrix turned towards him and leaned forwards, her next words coming out as a low, sinister hiss. "I want to bring him down, Lucius. I want to cause him every kind of pain it is possible to feel, and then, when he's so fucked up he doesn't know his own name, I'll kill him."

"Isn't that a little over the top?" Lucius said, in a slightly amused tone of voice.

"Over the top? Lucius, this is the problem with you. You don't appreciate _drama_. How can one hope to instill fear into the hearts of one's enemies if one's image is about as memorable as a dead jellyfish?"

"A jellyfish can sting for days after its death," he said with a smirk.

"Ah, Lucius, you're always so full of surprises. It's a shame your surprises are always so trivial."

"But, Bellatrix, don't you see? What is a triviality to you could be the trigger in an elaborate and dastardly scheme by someone older and wiser. You still have much to learn, however much your pride tells you otherwise."

"Dear, dear, Lucius," Bellatrix smiled, "I could teach you far more than you can imagine, my darling. In fact, I should write a book. 'Life Lessons for Lucius', by Bellatrix B. Lestrange."

"You don't have a middle name."

"No."

"Then what does the 'B.' stand for?"

"Take your pick. Beautiful, barbed, barbaric...perhaps a bastion."

"What are you the bastion of, Bellatrix?" Lucius smiled, fingering the hem of Bellatrix's robes. "I can't imagine anything you deem worthy of your esteemed protection, my pretty little viper."

"People like me, Lucius, people like us, are the last bastion of the old ways. Without us, this country would go to the dogs."

Lucius nodded, smiling. "To the dogs and the Mudbloods. I have to find myself agreeing with you, Bella. People like us are rare." He moved his hand to the fastening of her robes which were loosely draped over the less formal attire he knew she liked to wear underneath. Taking her lack of reprimand as assent, he slipped his hand inside her robes to her waist.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Lucius," Bellatrix said, not without a hint of amusement in her tone. She reached inside her robe and entwined her fingers with his, pulling his hand away. When his hand lay on her knee, she unlaced her fingers and trailed them up his arm instead. "You forget that you are the one who owes me favours, not the other way around."

"I could do you a lot of favours, Bellatrix, but it's not often that you come begging to my door."

Bellatrix smiled slowly, reminding Lucius of a tigress looking down at a mouse that had wandered into her lair. "I don't beg for anyone, Lucius, or anything. I get what I want," she reached out an elegant hand and traced the line of his jaw with one finger, "without asking."

"Bellatrix, you forget what we're here for. You need me, and your refusal to admit it isn't getting you anywhere, is it?"

Bellatrix sighed, blowing out her breath on the side of Lucius's neck. "What do I have to do to gain your...alliance?"

Lucius smirked. "How long have you got?"

"Lucius, Lucius, Lucius," she breathed, stroking the hollow of his neck, "I'm giving you an opportunity you may never have again. Don't waste it, will you?"

"Is there anything I can't have in exchange for my help in bringing your dear cousin down?"

Bellatrix thought for a moment, then whispered huskily in his ear. "You can have anything your dirty little mind can dream up. On one condition."

"What's that?" Lucius asked, trying not to think too hard.

"I want you to promise me your unswerving alleigance until Sirius has been brought down."

"Naturally."

"Lucius," Bellatrix smiled, and he could almost imagine her sharpening her claws, "I want an Unbreakable Vow."

His uncertainty lasted only a fraction of a second, before he said, "Of course. Who will be our Bonder?"

"I will," Bellatrix answered without hesitation. "I trust no hand but my own."

"I'm surprised you trust that, sweetheart. I certainly wouldn't."

"Well it's not your call, is it, Lucius?"

"No, Bella. Once again, you appear to be on top."

"Save the dirty talk, Lucius." Bellatrix whipped out her wand and looked Lucius in the eye. "Any last words, my dear?"

He laughed. "None at all. And you, Bella; any second thoughts?"

"Of course not," Bellatrix snapped. "Luckily for me, I'm not ruled by my libido."

"Indeed."

"Your right hand, Lucius." He took her hand and realised quite how little he knew about Bellatrix. She was left-handed. So that was why they tossed salt over their left shoulders, he thought. A little superstition keeps Bellatrix away. She must have noticed his smile, but said nothing. No doubt she thought he was dreaming up some twisted sexual fantasy involving her, some handcuffs, and several of the books in the Restricted Section of Hogwarts' Library. Before he could expound on this idea, Bellatrix spoke again, placing her wand tip on their joined hands. "Do you, Lucius, swear to aid me wherever necessary and wherever physically possible until Sirius Black is dead, or as good as dead?"

"I will," said Lucius, and a swirling thread of flame shot from Bellatrix's wand to bind their hands together. Before Bellatrix could open her mouth, he continued, "and do you, Bellatrix, swear to give me whatever I ask for as far as is physically possible?"

"I will," said Bellatrix, smirking at Lucius. A second tongue of fire wove around the first, and lit their faces with an eerie flickering light. "Do you swear, as I do, if necessary until we both shall die, to keep this vow and all its consequences a complete secret save for our own knowledge?"

"I will," said Lucius firmly, and watched as two flames leapt out of Bellatrix's wand, winding around the others until there was only a glowing ball of fire where Lucius knew their clasped hands to be. Bellatrix nodded at him, and a final tongue of fire engulfed the others and, as the flames disappeared, Lucius could have sworn he saw, just for a second, a skull floating eerily in the space between the two.

Lucius smiled slowly. "You're mine now, Bella."

She smiled back, her eyes seeming to carve lines in his skin. "Only once, Lucius. Only once."

"I don't understand you, Bella," he said, still smiling.

"I made mysefl perfectly clear, Lucius. You can fuck me, once, however, wherever and with whatever you like. That was the deal."

"No it wasn't."

"Yes it was." Bellatrix looked at him incredulously. "Don't tell me you thought I would be your pet sex toy!"

"Oh no, Bella. You promised to do whatever I wanted, once and once only." Bellatrix nodded, clearly not understanding where Lucius was coming from. "But Bella, you never mentioned sex. I can have you do anything I want, with no limits. You were very specific about the lack of limits."

"You mean you don't want to fuck me?" Bellatrix smiled disbelievingly.

"Of course I want to fuck you. But I don't think I should waste this opportunity on something so _trivial_ as a good fucking. After all, I shouldn't let my libido run away with me. Isn't that right, Bella?"

She sat there, stony-faced. "Fine, Lucius. Have it your way. I've offered tofuck your brains out and you're turning that down? I wonder about your sanity sometimes, mon amor."

"I'm flattered, my darling. The fact that you care means so much to me. In fact, I almost want to put you out of your misery and shag you silly, but I think I'd like to keep you waiting a little longer."

"Keep me waiting as long as you like, Lucius, but I can't vouch for my actions in the meantime. Anything I do would be entirely on your conscience, you realise."

"Of course, Bella. I understand."

"Good." She smiled. "Because right now I really feel like a good fuck, and if I can't get one from you, I'll just have to go and get one from someone else." She stood up suddenly, and began walking away from Lucius in the direction of the door. She tossed her hair nonchalantly, and gave a small squeal as Lucius caught her around the waist and pulled her backwards.

"Not so fast, Bella. You're not going anywhere on my watch."

She raised an eyebrow at him. He threw her down onto the sofa and climbed on top of her, his knees resting either side of her body. "But Lucius, you turned me down."

"I don't remember doing that," Lucius said, lowering his face to hers. He was breathing more heavily than usual, and the sight of Bellatrix looking coyly up at him was not helping. He pressed his body weight down onto her, and was rewarded with a gasp of pain.

"Lucius," she almost moaned out, "you're hurting me."

"I'm hurting you? Aww, sweetie, I'm sorry. But you see, I don't want to move. I quite like it exactly where I am."

"But Lucius, darling," her words were slightly strained now, and he could feel her struggling to breathe as he compressed her torso, "wouldn't you like it better if I was on top?"

He relaxed slightly, giving her room to breathe. She took several gasping gulps of air, staring up at him with a look he rarely saw on Bellatrix's face. "Keep talking."

Bellatrix smiled. "You see, baby, if I was on top, it would be so much easier for you. You could see anything you wanted to see, and touch anything you wanted to, and I could touch you too. I can't _move_," she ground herself up against him, "so well when you're pinning me down. I'd be much better if you just let me have my way with you..." She bit her lip and looked up at him, waiting for his inevitable decision.

Finally, Lucius peeled his body away from hers, shoulders first, and sat back. Bellatrix levered herself up and grabbed his head, almost viciously, pulling his mouth to hers. After a long, slow kiss, she breathed, "You've got some fire in you after all."

"I have," he said, tangling his fingers in her hair and scraping his fingernails lightly across her scalp. She gasped and tipped her head back, giving a small moan of pleasure. "Oh," he said, "you like that, do you?"

She opened her eyes and clambered onto his lap, wrapping her legs around his abdomen. "You know what I like, Lucius, and what you don't know you'll just have to find out. I hope you're not as easy to please as you've shown so far, or this could be very dull."

"I'm full of surprises, just as you said, Bella." He ran the fingers of the hand not entangled in her hair down Bellatrix's spine, making her back arch in response. It really was an interesting view, he thought, when women did that.

"Indeed you are, Lucius," and she pulled him in for another kiss as his hands glided down her sides to her hips, which ground suddenly against him. Pulling slowly away, his bottom lip between her teeth, she said, "So, Lucius, what item of clothing should I lose first?"

Lucius smiled. "You tell me."

"Well," she said after a moment of careful thought, "these robes do tend to get in the way a little bit. What say you?"

Lucius only smiled and undid the tie on her hip, letting her robes fall loose at her sides. Underneath, she was wearing a draped deep red top made out of some kind of silk, probably something priceless, knowing Bellatrix. It was hanging tauntingly off one of her shoulders, and as she leant forwards to shrug the robes off, he noticed that it gaped quite a lot down the front, too. He fingered the hem of the fabric, and let his fingers slide downwards between her breasts until the fabric began again, when he followed the trail with his eyes to her skirt, a black gauzy creation, probably knee-length, but currently hitched up at mid-thigh. He ran a hand down her spine again, and this time let it drift all the way to the back of her thigh, where the other mirrored it and pulled her closer, his fingertips digging into the skin he had just exposed.

"Darling, it's far too hot in here," Bellatrix said, shaking her hair loose behind her shoulders, and making a show of breathing deeply and sighing as she let her breath out. Lucius gave an almost inaudible groan in the back of his throat, and saw Bellatrix smile. "You must be hot too. Let me just..." and she undid a button on his deep green shirt, slipping one hand inside and caressing his shoulder. "I think we should get this off you at once."

"Whatever you say." Lucius smiled and let her continue undoing his shirt, relishing the feel of her fingertips on his skin. There was something very proverbial about Bellatrix. She was simultaneously shockingly overzealous and achingly subtle about everything she did. Even now, the look on her face was of provocative resolution, while her hands told a different story. She caressed him with a sensitivity never shown in her words or expressions, only in premeditated actions. Everything about Bellatrix seemed requisite, but to what he could not say. He knew which power she served, but it seemed strange that she should, ultimately, serve anyone but herself. The Dark Lord must have influences Lucius knew not, if he could win Bellatrix so easily to his horde.

"What are you thinking?" she asked abruptly, startling Lucius out of his reverie. Only now did he notice that his torso was completely bare, and that he could feel the draught that was making the candles gutter in their brackets.

"That it's not as hot as you said," he replied.

She raised a careful eyebrow. "Then you'd rather I kept my clothes on?" Bellatrix gave a smile, and it was not her usual malicious smirk, but more a cheeky grin. She had never looked more like what she was: a schoolgirl with grand ambitions. With her tousled hair, dishevelled clothing and youthful smile, she was almost unrecognisable.

"You look different," he said, and reached out to cup her chin in his hand. She stopped smiling, but looked at him with interest, her head on one side.When he did not elaborate, merely gazed at her with a smile, she spoke.

"What game are you playing, Lucius? What's going on inside your head?"

It didn't strike Lucius immediately that this comment was odd. It was only later, when he thought back, that he realised the rarity of a remark like this. Bellatrix did not care for others' thoughts or whims, only how she could exploit them. What it meant that she had asked only Bellatrix would know, but it offered a point for reflection for Lucius over the following days. "Oh," Lucius said, deciding to keep his thoughts to himself, "I was merely contemplating the stupidity of your previous question."

Bellatrix smirked, and the woman he knew seemed to materialise back into her eyes."Men are so predictable."

"I suppose you should know," he said, looking at her meaningfully.

"Don't mock me, Lucius," she said, but without contempt. "Have you forgotten what it is to be outsmarted?"

"Oh no, Bella. You've taught me many things."

"And you me, dear Lucius. The most important of which is: keep one's friends close, and one's enemies closer."

"You don't have friends, Bellatrix."

She laughed, and it was a strangely warm sound to come from her. "Occasionally, you amaze me with your observancy, my darling."

"I like to surprise you, sporadically as it may occur."

"Indeed?" she tilted her head coyly, and Lucius found himself smiling.

"For someone who preaches of predictability and its downfalls, Bella, you're getting a little reliable yourself."

"Reliable? I've heard many adjectives used to describe me, but reliable is a new one. I'm sure you'd like to expound on that theory, Lucius, so go on."

"Well, seeing as you asked so nicely..." he pinched her cheek, and she slapped his hand away, rather more violently than was required. "To be honest, all this sarcasm and irritability is getting a tad mundane. i think you should try something new."

"New?" Bellatrix laughed again, but this time it was colder, meant to scorn. "Lucius, why would I possibly want to do anything but tease you?"

"That's the thing, Bella. You're a brilliant actress, you really are, but however realistically you portray admiration or caring, it's just not you. You can tell me anything you like and I'll know it's not true. If it's not a lie, Bella, you wouldn't say it. And if you listen hard enough, it's possible to hear the truth by piecing together the gaps between the lies."

Bellatrix didn't move, just looked at him. She wasn't angry or amused. The only look in her eyes was one of barely discernible shock. "I was wrong, Lucius."

"Wrong?" Lucius watched the expression of vague uncertainty on her face. Once again, she reminded him of the little girl she used to be, and of the sister he was engaged to. Strangely, tonight was the most honest Bellatrix had ever been with him, without saying a word. She really had let her guard down, as he had never seen her do before. Rodolphus had made her like this, there was no doubt about that, but Lucius wasn't sure if that really bothered him. He would have expected himself to be insane with jealousy, but he realised now that he knew Bellatrix was never going to be his, and he had never intended for it to be so. Anyway, if tonight was anything to go by, Rodolphus was destroying everything about Bellatrix that Lucius admired or wanted. Without her facade, Bella was just a girl with big ideas. In a moment of twisted clarity, Lucius realised that without her wall, Bellatrix was Narcissa. He looked at her again and saw his fiancee staring from her sister's eyes, laced with a layer of what could only be called darkness.

"I underestimated you, Lucius." Lucius smiled. He couldn't believe for a second that what she said was true. If she didn't know exactly what to expect of him, she wouldn't be here, doing what she did best. "You may be able to teach me something after all."

"Whatever you say, Bella," Lucius sighed. He was growing weary of her; he couldn't help it. She seemed so petty now, all her scheming and plotting useless. She held no advantages over him, and he was seeing her now for what he knew her to be.

She leant forwards and kissed him again, eliciting a frustrated groan. However tired he may have been of her pettiness, Lucius could not force himself to be disinterested by the way she was currently straddling him and giving him one hell of a nice view down her cleavage. Pulling away breathlessly, he reached for her top and ripped it down the front, relishing the fact that it had probably cost her hundreds of Galleons. Bellatrix would never repair a damaged garment; in fact, the thought would probably never occur to her. His eyes took in her bra, and he smiled. "Red. Very Gryffindor."

"That's an interesting adjective to use," she remarked, "but I regard Gryffindor as being much more maroon. I call this -" she gestured to the lace, "- blood red."

"Very appropriate," he smirked. "Matching set?"

"Of course," she said.

He leant forwards and kissed her again, letting her slide her hands across his shoulders. He ran a finger along the side of her neck, making her shiver, and down her side. He paused at her hip, and she ground against him, nibbling on his bottom lip. Ferociously, Lucius grabbed her thighs with both hands, and made to rip her skirt off as well. Just as visciously, Bellatrix pulled away from him and pushed his chest away with one hand. His hands still half up her skirt, she spoke.

"Ask me."

"What?"

"i want you to beg me, Lucius. What do you want? I'm not doing this just for fun, you know."

"Could've fooled me. Got some good gasps out of you there." Bellatrix smiled sardonically, and he sighed. "Fine. You want to know what I want?" She nodded, smiling sweetly. "I want that bottle."

Lucius counted the seconds as they ticked past, not daring to look up at her. Instead, he let his eyes wander, until, "You want _what_!"

"I want that bottle," he repeated.

"Let me get this straight," she snarled, moving forwards and apparently not noticing that Lucius's hands had slid even further up her skirt. "You are going to waste this on _that_?"

"Yes," Lucius said firmly.

"_Why?_" she asked, in something part way between a laugh and a scream.

"Because," Lucius said slowly, trying not to think about what he was turning down, and trying not to look at it, for that matter, "if I let you keep it, you'll only torture me with it, and I really can't have that."

"You think that's all I have to torture you with?" Bellatrix asked, smiling, and pushed him backwards so he lay flat on the sofa. She shifted her own weight and pressed herself against him again, planting little butterfly kisses along his jaw. Then, in a baby voice, she said, "You think I can't drive you insane by other means?"

"I know what you can do to me, Bella," he said, toughening his resolve, "but wanting to fuck your brains out isn't life threatening, is it?"

"I wouldn't be too sure," she almost growled.

"You have to give it to me, Bella," he said, echoing her earlier words. "You have no choice."

"Fine. Have it your way. Have it your own fucking way. But you'll regret it, Lucius. Every time I walk past you it'll drive you mad, when you know you could've fucked me good and hard. Wherever and however you want, Lucius. Are you turning that down?"

"Yes," he said, screwing up his eyes as she ground against him once more. "Now GIVE ME THE FUCKING BOTTLE!"

Knowing she couldn't delay any longer, Bellatrix scowled and swung her lug back over Lucius, bending over to pick up the bottle which had fallen out of the pocket of her robes. Lucius tried (and failed) not to look, as she must have known what it was doing to him, but didn't back down. After several excrutiating moments, she straightened up, turned around, and threw the bottle at him. Walking towards him as he caught it in his right hand, she said, "I'll make your life hell, Lucius. You don't want to know what I can do to you."

Lucius tried not to think about the decision he had just made, and smiled despite himself. "Be a good girl, Bella, and run along. It's past your bedtime."

As she was about to stalk off, he smacked her derriere. Livid, she turned around and said, "You don't know what you're messing with, Lucius." And with that, she pointed her wand at a panel in the wall, which promptly disintegrated, and stormed off into the passage that Lucius knew led to her room, shrugging on her robe.

Lucius released a breath he didn't know he had been holding, and put his head in his hands. He knew he had made the right decision, though. She would be able to make him do anything with the threat of that memory dangling in front of him, and now he had it. What part of that memory had she wanted to show the Dark Lord, he wondered. Definitely not the last part... Grinning, he pulled his want out of his trouser pocket and called, "Accio, Pensieve."

Settling back into the couch, feeling rather proud of himself now Bellatrix's barely clad body wasn't right in front of him, he watched as the stone basin from the Blacks' main living room zoomed into the room and came to a halt on the coffee table a few feet away. Lucius stood up and uncorked the bottle, shaking the contents into the Pensieve. Taking a deep breath, he plunged his head into the Pensieve and opened his eyes again. Surprised, he looked around. He wasn't in his bedroom at Malfoy Manor, as he had expected, but in the room he had just left, although light was still spilling in through the cracks between the shutters. Was there more than one memory in this bottle?

Looking around, Lucius saw the door shutting, and heard the distinct click as someone left the room. Not Bellatrix, surely, or he would not still be here. Turning his head, he saw that Bellatrix was indeed still here, but not alone. She was wrapped in Rodolphus's arms. Had she brought the wrong bottle, Lucius wondered. Why would this memory be important enough to store?

Just as he was wondering what was going on, a voice spoke in Lucius's head. "Hello, Lucius." Bellatrix. So she had intended him to see this. "The fact that you're here means that you turned me down. Not a wise move, sweetie." She'd planned it. She'd planned the whole fucking thing. The Unbreakable Vow and everything. The little - "You have a lot to learn, Lucius, and I thought you'd appreciate this lesson. I do hope you enjoy it." Lucius turned around, realising that he didn't know how to leave a memory. Not without its owner present, at least. "Haven't you learned how to get out of a memory?" Bellatrix scoffed in his head. She was right. He must be far too predictable, if she had known what he would try to do. Sighing in defeat, as he had done so many times before, Lucius waited for her to speak again. He couldn't tell what Rodolphus and the Bellatrix in the memory were saying - she must have enchanted the memory so that the only thing Lucius could hear was what she wanted him to hear. Where did she learn these things? Lucius suddenly felt woefully ignorant.

"I warned you, Lucius. I told you I would make your life hell. And it starts now. Watch and learn, sweetheart. Watch and learn."

As she spoke, the sound in the memory seemed to come back on. Suddenly he could hear the conversation taking place on the other side of the room. He walked over and took a seat opposite the happy couple, inwardly berating his own stupidity.

Rodolphus said, "I have no knowledge of the girl. The Dark Lord knows this."

"Then who?" Bellatrix asked, and Lucius could see what was coming next.

"Lucius," Rodolphus said simply.

Bellatrix swung her legs over and stood up, facing her fiance. "Lucius is incompetent."

"He has the Dark Lord's trust."

"He does not have mine."

"Don't sulk, Bella," Rodolphus smiled. "It doesn't suit you."

"But Lucius is unreliable!"

"How so?"

"I'd rather trust Kreacher with a job than give it to Lucius. You must see, we cannot trust him with this!"

"You just don't like Lucius."

"Is it that obvious?" Bella said, rolling her eyes, and folded her arms. Well, at least there was one thing Lucius could be sure of. Bellatrix didn't like him whoever she was talking to. Rodolphus hadn't managed to change her that much.

"Come here," Rodolphus said, and stood up, enveloping Bellatrix in his arms. "Now," he smiled, "listen to me. The Dark Lord trusts Lucius, so you must trust Lucius. This is your task, given to you by the Dark Lord, and you must fulfill it. Lucius is the only one who knows this girl, and the only one close enough to the Dark Lord to have any influence." Lucius grimaced. What kind of cheesy speech was that? No one in their right mind would take advice from someone who talked like that.

"But, Rodolphus -"

He silenced her with a kiss, and just as she began to kiss him back, he pulled away. "Bella, don't be blinded." Between hasty kisses, he said, "Please, my darling, learn to put your trust in those who can help you." Lucius watched, incredulous. This did _not_ happen in real life.

"Rodolphus, this is my chance, and if -" Bellatrix trailed off, watching Rodolphus, lips slightly parted, as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Ssh, you shouldn't worry so much." He leaned towards her for another kiss, and this time he didn't pull away. Bellatrix didn't argue with him, just kissed him back. Lucius groaned and put his head in his hands for the second time since he had turned Bellatrix down. He knew he had made the wrong decision, and she had let him think that he was doing the right thing, the thing she didn't want him to do...it was sickening, it really was. If he hadn't been so busy trying to outsmart her, he might have noticed that she wasn't teasing him half as much as she usually did. Fucking snake. Fucking evil, bitchy, lying, cheating, snake.

Lucius was forced to watch everything that happened next. If he had closed his eyes, he still would have heard. Heard everything Rodolphus was getting that he had just turned down. Fucking snake. Fucking evil, bitchy, lying, conniving, manipulative, scheming snake. He had to give Bellatrix one thing, though. She had just proved that she was a lotwiser than him.

Life Lessons for Lucius? He had a feeling they were only just beginning.

* * *

Well, that was a long one by my standards. Thank you so much to Em, you've been a star, and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to edit this. To everyone else, it'd be great to hear from you if you're reading, otherwise, I hope you've enjoyed it.

Becca x


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